In2HiDef
05-23-2012, 06:33 PM
Colorado’s mile-high altitude and welcoming attitude could bring a commercial spaceport to the Rocky Mountain state.
Now being eyed as home of the Colorado Spaceport (http://www.space.com/13872-colorado-seeking-commercial-spaceport-designation.html) is the Front Range Airport in the city of Aurora, Colo., a site that sits on 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares) of landand is surrounded by 6,000 acres (2,428 hectacres) of nonresidential, privately owned industrial property.
Some Colorado officials are pushing for a spaceport to keep the state engaged in the commercial space industry. If spaceport designation is granted, the next step would be upgrading the Front Range Airport to support space travel. Advocates envision the spaceport handling suborbital space planes (http://www.space.com/12171-space-planes-winged-spaceships-evolution-infographic.html) and serving as one hub of a worldwide network of suborbital point-to-point travel.
At present, Alaska, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia are designated spaceport states.
Now being eyed as home of the Colorado Spaceport (http://www.space.com/13872-colorado-seeking-commercial-spaceport-designation.html) is the Front Range Airport in the city of Aurora, Colo., a site that sits on 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares) of landand is surrounded by 6,000 acres (2,428 hectacres) of nonresidential, privately owned industrial property.
Some Colorado officials are pushing for a spaceport to keep the state engaged in the commercial space industry. If spaceport designation is granted, the next step would be upgrading the Front Range Airport to support space travel. Advocates envision the spaceport handling suborbital space planes (http://www.space.com/12171-space-planes-winged-spaceships-evolution-infographic.html) and serving as one hub of a worldwide network of suborbital point-to-point travel.
At present, Alaska, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia are designated spaceport states.